Infant umbilical cord with white pus: What to do?

The article is consulted professionally by Master, Dr. Nguyen Thi An – Pediatrician – Newborn – Pediatrics – Newborn – Share99 Ha Long International Health Hub. The doctor is very passionate about health care for children and has experience in successfully treating many difficult cases in babies.

Usually, the infant's navel will fall out over a period of 7 to 20 days, which is a normal phenomenon, however in cases where the infant's navel is fouled with white pus or the newborn navel has yellow pus, the mother needs to be very cautious because this is a sign that the baby's navel has become inflamed.

1. How dangerous is the infant's navel with white pus?

Newborn umbilical cord plays an extremely important role in the reception of the mother's nutrients right from within the womb. After the baby is born, the infant's navel needs some time to heal and fall off.

Infant umbilical cord loss is a normal phenomenon, however in cases where the infant's navel is fouled with white pus or the infant navel has yellow pus, the mother needs to be very cautious because this is a sign that the navel has become inflamed.

When the infant's navel is inflamed, in addition to signs of fouling with white pus or yellow pus, the mother will see the navel and surrounding abdominal skin with symptoms such as swelling of the edema, redness or bleeding in the navel.

Because the umbilical cord is associated with blood vessels, any damage in this area will also cause negative effects on the blood and internal parts of the infant's body. The most dangerous complications that an umbilical infection can cause are umbilical tetanus, septicaemia – one of the leading causes of death for babies.

2. Causes of purulent young umbilical cord

navel

Infant umbilical cord with white or yellow pus is an inflammation caused by purulent germs

Infant umbilical cord with white or yellow pus is an inflammation caused by purulent germs. Some common causes of this case are:

  • Parents do not clean the umbilical cord properly such as too tight umbilical cord bandages, do not wash the navel often, forget to clean their hands before cleaning the umbilical cord, use folk remedies to sprinkle on the navel without the doctor's prescription …
  • There are also some cases where the mother is afraid that the baby is in pain without daring to touch the baby's navel, so it does not change the bandage as well as clean the umbilical cord for a long time, leading to the case of the infant's navel being fouled and accompanied by pus.
  • Many mothers are too clean, bathe and clean their children's navels regularly without understanding that caring for the child's umbilical cord is the wrong method that causes long-term umbilical cord shedding and umbilical infection for the child.

These are the causes of dampness of the baby's navel, not dampness and a favorable environment for inflammatory bacteria to develop.

3. What to do when the infant's navel is fouled with white pus?

Examination of the abdomen of babies

When parents notice that the baby's navel is purulent after shedding or not falling out with a bad smell, parents should take the baby to the hospital for an immediate examination

When it is noticed that the navel of a purulent infant after shedding or not falling out with a bad smell, parents should take the baby to the hospital for an immediate examination because it is necessary to go through a doctor's face-to-face examination to be able to diagnose the disease and treat it correctly.

Besides, whether or not to take good care of the navel will directly determine the health of the baby, so that mothers need to be more careful in cleaning the navel. Some of the following notes in the care of the navel in babies that mothers properly perform:

  • The baby's umbilical cord should always be kept clean and dry. Mother should fold the baby's diaper underneath the umbilical cord so that the navel can be exposed to air and drier.
  • Do not put urine or feces in the umbilical cord of the baby, and clean the bottom of the baby's umbilical cord with cotton pads or gauze absorbing some antiseptic alcohol 1 – 2 times a day. In case of stool or urine sticking to the navel, it is necessary to clean the baby's navel and change the diaper immediately.
  • In conditions of high temperatures, mothers only need to wear diaper babies and wide T-shirts so that the air circulating and speed up the process of drying the navel. It is not recommended to wear a tight undercoat to the baby until the umbilical cord has fallen out and dries completely.
  • Mothers should not vomit when the baby's navel does not fall out at the expected time, because the time of umbilical cord shedding in each baby is different, so mothers absolutely must not try to pull off the umbilical cord, even if the baby's navel is already loose and the attachment is only a little.
  • Before bathing or personal hygiene for your baby, remember to wash your hands with soap so that bacteria do not enter your baby's body. If the mother does not ensure hygiene, the cut of the umbilical cord is very susceptible to infection that can cause tetanus or septicaemia – one of the serious accidents that leads to death in babies.
  • After bathing, personal hygiene for the child, your mothers should change the umbilical cord bandage for the baby immediately. Hand sterile 70-degree alcohol is required before removing old umbilical cord gauze to clean the baby's navel. Use a cotton swab to absorb Povidine solution to wipe off from the umbilical cord to the umbilical cord, then the new mother should apply a new gauze bandage and use a bandage gauze to fix it.

Umbilical bandage

After bathing, personal hygiene for the child, your mother should change the umbilical cord bandage for the baby immediately
  • Bathing or replacing umbilical antlers for the mother must be done very gently. Do not bandage the umbilical cord too tightly because in addition to making the baby uncomfortable it can also cause infection due to the lack of air to ventilate the umbilical cord. Cleaning the umbilical cord part of the baby needs to be done daily until the umbilical cord of the child dries and falls off.
  • Keep blankets, children's clothes are always clean. Keep the child in a well-ventilated room with a windy air. Absolutely do not let the child's room be cryptic, damp, will create conditions for bacteria to grow and penetrate the umbilical cord causing the phenomenon of purulent infant umbilical cord after shedding or smelling bad.
  • Avoid using folk remedies without a doctor's prescription to sprinkle on the baby's navel.
  • It is necessary to monitor the umbilical cord of the child every day to promptly detect abnormal manifestations and have a reasonable treatment in time to avoid causing dangerous complications for the child.

For direct advice, please click hotline number or register online HERE. In addition, you can register for remote consultation HERE

SEE MORE:

  • What to do about the umbilical cord of a child with yellow pus after shedding?
  • Is the appearance of red meat lumps in the navel after shedding worrying?
  • Is it dangerous to leak water after umbilical cord shedding?

About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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